Mechanical automatic selling-machine



(N0 Mdel'.)

D.. W. VSEILK.

MECHANICAL AUTOMATIC SELLING MACHINE. NO. 329,225. Patnted 0013327, 1885.

isn/.' Z

` UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL W. SHIEK, OF LETTSVILLE, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-Tl-IIRDS TO C. O. COLE, OF SAME PLACE, AND E. G. GROSJEAN, OF MOUNT EATON,

OHIO.

MECHANICAL AUTOMATIC SELLING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters'Patent No. 329,225, dated October 27, 1885.

Application filed June 23, 1884. 'Serial-No. 135,809. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom 1325 may concern.'

Be it known that I, DANIEL W. SHIEII, of of Lettsville, inthe county of Louisa and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Automatic Selling-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact de scription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains 1o to make and use it, reference being had tothe n accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in mechanical automatic selling-machines for cigars and other`artieles; and it consists in the combination of the drawer or slide having attached to its rear edge a smooth rod, a clamping device through which the smooth rod passes, and which is provided'with an arm for catching uponthe top of the coin and preventing the clamping device from operating, a pivotedU-shaped rod having ,hooks upon its front end, and which serve to catch the coin at its lower end, and the passage-way through which the c oin passes, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object ofgmy invention is toprovide an automatic selling-machine in which', when a coin ofthe required denomination-is dropped, the drawer or slide can be drawn open andthe article taken out, but which drawer or slide cannot be opened unless a coin of the exact denomination is used, and thus enable persons to wait upon themselves at the stores withouthaving to call upon the storekeeper to wait upon them. v

Figure lis a vertical longitudinal section of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing ythe drawer, the smooth rod, and the frictional clamping device. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same with the drawer removed. Fig. 4 is a perspective of the bent U-shaped lever. I A represents aishow-case having the in clined board or bottom B, and upon which the cigar-box is placed. The end is removed from this cigar-box, so that the cigars will slide from the box C upon the lower edge of vof a rod having a'n opening through its upper ner that it cannot follow the movement of the Vonly one cigar will drop through the slot or opening made to receive it. The bottomof this slot is formed by a thin plate of sheet metal or other material,F, through which are made a suitable number of slots, G. Secured 50 'to the center of the back edge of this drawer or slide I) is the smooth rod H, which is provided with the stop lat its rear end, both for the purpose of preventing the drawer from being drawn too far out and for the purpose of operating the bent lever J, which is pivot-ed upon the top ofthe boardvor support L. Just inside of this board or support Lis placed the frictional clamping device N, which consists o end for the rod H to pass through, and which 7 has its lower end Vloosely held by the bracket O, secured to the lower edge of the support L. This frictional clampingdevice N has its upper end to move freely back and forth in a line with the movement of the rodI'I, and it is operated'entirely by its frictional` contact with the rod. y A

Then the drawer is pushed back into position after having been thrown out, the frictional contact of the rod H against the device N pushes the upper end of the device back until it rests against the support L, when the rod H passes freely through withoutany hin.- derance on the part of the device N. Vhen, however, it is attempted to pull the drawer lout-ward, the frictional Contact of the device N upon the rodH causes the upper end of this device N to be drawn forward just far enough to cause the device N to clamp the rod tightly, and thus prevent the drawer or slide D from being drawn outward. When the drawer or slide is to be drawn outward, the upper end of the clamping device N must be heldin such a manrod H, so as to be inclined forward. This for- Ifrs Vcle, and by the curved lever J. Should the proprietor at any time wish to allow the slide to'be drawn outward, it is only necessary'for him to move the rear end offthe pivotfeddever J to one side, so that its front end will catch over the front edge of the clamping device N, so as to prevent it from moving forward, and then the drawer or slide D'can be drawn freely outward. This lever J is shaped, as shown, soA as to be automatically operated by the stop I in therear endof the rod'H. Whenthe drawer or slide D is drawn outward, the stop Were it not for this lever, when the coin'dropsl into the drawer, the outward1 movement of the drawer would'be checkedbefore it wouldhave been` moved far enough t'o allow the'cigar or other article to be taken out of the slot E.

Secured to the front side of this clamping device N is the bent arm P, which projects forward inside of the rear end of the bent rod Q, and which arm is intended to strike upon the top of the coin ofthe proper denomination, which has been dropped in ,through the slide or passage-way R, extending from the opening inthe front of the upper edge of the slide or drawer D, and which'extends down along'tle topof the inclined board or bottom piece S. This passage-way is preferably` covered: over, and it' may be curved in any suitable manner,l so as to prevent strips of' pasteboard'fand'oth'er similar material from being dropped into the passage-way for the purpose of catching under the arm P. If a coin of the proper denomination is dropped through the passageway E', it passes down until it strikesv against the lower part of the bent rod Q, which' is cut away slightly at its bottom edge, as shown at V, so' asV to allow the lower edge of the'coin topr0= ject through. This coin prevents the upper end'oi` the clamping device N from moving forward by frictional contact with the rod' H, because, the end of the rod or arm P bears upon vthe top of the coin and prevents any movement of the arm, and through the arm the upper end of the clamping device. If' a coin of a smaller denomination than the required price for the article to be sold is dropped in through the passageway R, it slides down through the opening V, made in the bottom 'of the bent rod Q, and on down into th'edrawer' without operating the machine in anyway. Coins of a larger denomination' cannot be droppedin, because the mouthof the passage` Way Rf is not made wide enough;

The bent U-shaped rod Q is pivoted upon the top of the inclined board or support S, and has its two front ends made hook-shaped,

as shown, and which project up through suit-p able'slots in'thel bottom of the drawer or slide D. These hook-shaped ends U serve to l forward movement of the cigar and sink downward, so as to allow the drawer or slide D to be pulled outward. As these ends U sink downward, the rear or lower end of the rod Q is-raised upward, so as to release the coin and let it drop down into the drawer. In case no cigar should drop int-o the slot from any cause whatever, the upper ends of the rod U' will not be operated by the outward' movement of the drawer or slide D, and hence the coin is simply held in the opening-V, and the drawer can be pushed freely in and out at will. If the cigars have stuck together above the slot E, so that one cannot fall down into the slot, they may be loosened by forcibly pushing the drawer back andforth. Should'one drop into the slot the next time the drawer ispulled out, the front hook-shaped ends of the bent rod Q are depressed, the coin released, and' then the clamping device N is again free' to operate, and'thus prevent the drawer or slide from being pulled out. Thus it will be seen that a cigar must be drawn out with the drawer or the coin is simply held without being dropped into the drawer; The coin while resting upon the inclined board S covers the recess T, which IOO is made in the board, and into which the lower endof the arm P would drop if the coin were not there. As the arm P strikes against the top of the coin, the automatic clamping device N cannot move forward at its upper'end.

Myinve'ntion ishere" shown in connection with a cigar-seller only; butV it is evident that the'same principle may be employed to many different articles, the size of the slot E being varied according to the article being sold. As the price of the'article varies, so the passageway R and the opening V through the lower end of the Ulshape'd rod Q will be varied accordingly, to correspond to coins of different denominations.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination of the slide or drawer provided with a suitable opening to'receive the article being sold, a frictional rodwhich projectsfrom the rear end or" the slide, an automatically-acting clamping device through which the rod passes, and a'rod connected to and operated by the clamping device for catching upon the coin, substantially as shown.

2L The combination of the slide or drawer provided with a slot or ropening and having a rod projecting from its rear side, the automatic clamping device through which the rod IXO passes, and which is provided with an arm, the U-shaped rod Q, provided with hooks at its upper end and with an opening alt its lower end to receive the coin, substantially as described. 3. The combination of the drawer or slide provided with a slot7 E, smooth rod H, clamping device N, provided with the arm I), the U -shaiped rod Q, hevinghooks at its upper end to be operated by the cigar or other article in the slot, and the opening V atits lower end to Io hold the coin, the inclined board S, and the passage-way, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I ax my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

- DANIEL W. SHIEK.

Witnesses.

EZRA B. TUCKER, WM. DEFORD. 

